FateZero Originality
by Canis Lupus 54
Summary: You know the drill, Angra Mainyu is bored and has summoned fictional characters to fight in the Fourth Holy Grail War.
1. Chapter 1

"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and archduke of contracts to the cornerstone The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg

The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, the three forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.

Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill

Repeat five times.

Simply, shatter once filled.

I announce.

Your self is under me, my fate is in your sword.

In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.

I swear to you, I will become all that is good in the world, I will destroy all that is evil in the world

You seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the scales!"

A bright flash of light filled the room.

Kirei Kotomine got a good look at his Servant as the light died down. At first glance, everything looked good. There was a pitch black skinned man wearing a skull mask standing in the middle of the summoning circle. Then, Kirei noticed someone else in the room. Odd, he had been alone when he had started the summoning. Kiriei focused on the unknown figure.

It was a young girl, with light blue hair and red eyes. She wore a school uniform unfamiliar to Kirei.

"I am Servant Assassin, I ask of you, are you my Master?" asked the black skinned man.

"I am," Kirei said.

"Yo, I'm Servant Berserker, got any rice crackers?" asked the blue haired girl. "Also are you my Master?"

"It would seem so."

 _One week later, Tohsaka manor…_

"We've won, Kirei. This, wait, who is that?"

A black haired young man had appeared beside Tokiomi Tohsaka's expected Servant. The boy was dressed all in black, except the soles of his shoes, which appeared to be a bright red.

"Servant Rider accepting your summons," said the man, "I ask of you, are you my Master?"

"I am, Rider."

Tokiomi then turned to Kirei.

"It would appear I have also summoned two Servants," Tokiomi said.

"It would seem so," said Kirei.

Tokiomi felt pretty good about the results. Though, if everybody summoned two Servants, the original plan would only half work. Berserker lacked an ability to fake her death. Still, the plan could be executed as planned.

 _Elsewhere, Hotel Room_

Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi smirked at his first Servant. He had summoned Diarmuid, exactly as planned. Well, not exactly, his original plan was to summon Alexander the Great, but that catalyst had been stolen. So, he was forced to use his backup plan, Diarmuid. Then, he scowled at what appeared to be a second Servant. Normally, having an extra Servant could only mean good things. It was an advantage and it gave him a slightly larger margin for error. But this was a feeble old man. He appeared to be wearing some sort of black uniform consisting of a kimono and hakama, over white clothing. Over all of that, was a white haori, worn as a shawl.

"I see you were not expecting me," said the old man in an old, yet strong, authoritative voice. "I am Servant Caster. Which of you is my Master?"

"I am," said Kayneth. "Though I don't see what use I have for a decrepit Servant."

Suddenly, Kayneth felt a sort of pressure on his body.

"Watch your tongue, boy," said Caster. "No Soul Reaper stronger than me was born in over a thousand years."

Soul Reaper?

"Perhaps if I had summoned you in your prime, you may have a point, but-"

"Kayneth," said Sola-Ui, "we clearly have a second Servant and a powerful one too, there's no reason to get upset. I'm sorry about Kayneth."

"Fine," said Kayneth. "I'm going to go get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow."

He then walked to his room.

Sola-Ui turned to Lancer and Caster.

"I'm sorry about him, is there anything I can get you two?"

"No, thank you," said Lancer.

"At least one of you knows some respect," said Caster. "I am fine for now, girl."

Sola-Ui bristled slightly at being called "girl," but she decided not to say anything about it. It seemed to simply be Caster's default form of address.

 _Matou Household_

Kariya panted and held a hand to his chest. Yet, despite his exhaustion, he smiled slightly at his results. He had summoned two Servants! One was a large knight dressed in entirely black armor. The other was a teenage girl, wearing silver armor on her torso with a cross on it and a blue skirt. She had red hair and a strong countenance.

The black knight, presumably Berserker, was silent, while the girl spoke.

"I am Servant Lancer," she said. "Are you my Master?"

"Yes," Kariya panted out.

"Are you okay?"

"Not really, but don't worry about me."

Zouken laughed.

"I'll admit I'm impressed, Kariya," he said. "You managed to summon two Servants. But, let's see how long you last with two Servants to maintain."

Lancer scowled at Zouken and materialized a sword.

"Don't," said Kariya, "he won't die so easily."

"Very well then, I'll take care of you," said Lancer.

In a flash of light, she was wearing a nurse's outfit.

"That's really not necessary-"

"Nonsense, you need rest."

With that, Lancer, punched Kariya and the world went black.

 _Einzbern Home_

"I ask of you are you my Master?" asked the woman in the circle.

"I am," said Kiritsugu.

Then, the woman seemd to sense a presence behind her and whirled around, pointing an invisible weapon at the teenage boy behind her.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

The boy was dressed in vaguely Japanese clothing, with a gray zip up shirt and a black skirt held up by a purple tie of some kind. The boy had longish black hair and eyes black as coal. He bore a chokuto with a black hilt and scabbard.

"Hn. Assassin," said the boy, then he looked past Saber to Kiritsugu. "Are you my Master?"

"Nonsense!" exclaimed Saber. "If you are the Servant Assassin, then you must be my enemy!"

Assassin's eyes shifted, one turned red and black with an interesting design, while the other turned purple, with concenctric black circles and six black comma shaped markings.

"If you want to take me on, that's fine too," he said, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"There's no need to fight," said Irisviel. "Saber, it looks like Kiritsugu summoned two Servants."

 _Random spot in the forest_

Waver took a step back and fell backwards. His Servant was a huge man, with bright red hair. He wore a cape.

"I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors!" he declared. "Servant Rider, accepting your summons, are you my Master?"

"I-I am," said Waver.

It was then that Waver became aware of another presence in the clearing he had summoned in. It was a teenage boy, dressed in a suit with black hair. His hair had white stripes on half of it. He held two pistols upside down.

"Um, excuse me?" said Waver.

"Oh, sorry, I was merely admiring the symmetry of this summoning circle," said the boy, "Servant Archer, are you my Master?"

"I guess so?"

"Then the contract is complete."

What was going on?

AN: So, there's my take on the now famous Fate: Zero Sense formula. I'll be honest, I have no idea where to go with this story, so if anyone wants to co-write or help me brainstorm, they're welcome to.


	2. Chapter 2

Waver watched as Rider tore open the shutter to the library. He came out carrying two books.

"You idiot!" yelled Waver. "Why did you tear the shutter off? Couldn't you have just came out in spirit form like you entered?"

"In spirit form I couldn't have carried these," Rider replied.

"And what are those?" asked Archer.

"Knowledge!" said Rider, holding up his copy of an almanac and Homer's _The Odyssey_. "We must scope out the area before battle!"

He opened the almanac.

"Now tell me, boys, where is my former kingdom on this map?"

"Don't address me like that!" said Waver. I'm your-!"

Rider shot a glare that could melt ice at Waver, causing Waver to step back and fall over, again.

"I know you are my Master, it is I who forged a contract with you, is it not? Now, I asked you where my former kingdom is."

"Around here," said Waver, pointing.

"Technically, it's right around here," said Archer, sweeping his finger in a rough circle around Iskandar's conquered territory, "Not symmetrical at all."

This caused Rider to burst out laughing.

"It's so small!" he said. "To think this is the land I tried so hard to rule! Hm, I have our battle plan. We'll head due west, conquering every country in our path! Then, when I make my triumphant return to Macedonia, a banquet will be held in my honor!"

Archer gave Rider a long, flat look. Waver was less restrained.

"Idiot!" he yelled. "Did you forget why you're here? To fight for the Holy Grail!"

"That reminds me, what do you two want with the Holy Grail?"

"I'd prefer not to share," said Archer.

"I want to make those Clock Tower idiots acknowledge my talent and change their methods," said Waver.

Slap! Waver went flying and landed on his backside once more.

"Small!" said Rider. "Small, narrow, and useless. The grand dream you fight for amounts to nothing more than others' validation? And you are my Master? I'm utterly disgusted! If having others respect you is of such importance, maybe you should have the Grail make you thirty centimeters taller."

Rider had picked up Waver from the back of his shirt during this speech and gently set him down.

Waver's hand started to glow as he prepared to use a Command Seal, but he calmed himself down, remembering that he only had three to control both Servants with. He calmly sat down.

"Whatever!" said Waver. "All I care about is getting the Holy Grail. After that, you two are free to do whatever you want."

"Okay, I'll get you the Grail!"

"You seem pretty sure of yourself, but do you actually have a plan?"

"You wish to see what I'm capable of?"

"Of course! How do I know I can count on you otherwise?"

Rider pulled out his sword and raised it to the sky.

"With this strike, I, Iskandar, Lord of Asia, claim this land!"

He then swung his sword downward. The street lights flickered out and a thunderstorm gathered. With a strike of lightning that once more sent Waver to the ground, a chariot pulled by two oxen appeared.

"This chariot was originally given as a gift to King Gordias by Zeus himself. This must be why I was summoned as a Rider-class Servant. If you desire the Holy Grail, then locate some other Heroic Spirits. Until then, I shall stare at these maps, attempting to stave off boredom, now, are you satisfied?"

Waver nodded.

 _Einzbern Home_

Saber and Assassin watched as Kiritsugu played in the forest with his daughter.

"What are you looking at, Saber, Assassin?" asked Irisviel as she came in with tea.

"We were just watching Kiritsugu and your daughter playing in the woods," explained Saber.

"Did it surprise you?"

"I was under the impression my Master was a cold and ruthless man."

"I can't blame you for thinking that."

"I'm not surprised," said Assassin. "Some people have many faces. He reminds me some people I knew in life."

"About that," said Irisviel. "I've done the research, Assassin, and your legend doesn't match any on Earth. What does that mean?"

"I can only speculate that I am from another universe or planet. It's not impossible, I myself know a dimension shifting technique."

Irisviel hummed in thought.

"Irisviel," said Saber. "You and Kiritsugu intend to use the Holy Grail to save the world, correct?"

"Yes," said Irisviel, "though in my case, I merely parrot his ideal."

"I would use it for the same purpose, to save Britain, the country my strength alone wasn't enough to defend. I think it's a noble cause you are fighting for."

"I agree," said Assassin, "however, when you use Kiritsugu's methods, no matter your intentions, you just make things worse, in my experience."

Irisviel looked at her tea and sighed.

 _Household in Fuyuki_

"Fill, Fill, Fill, Fill, repeat four times, or was it five?" Uryuu Ryuunosouke said as he painted the floor with the blood of his victims.

As he corrected himself, he noticed that the news on the TV was talking about him.

"Well, maybe I did have a little too much fun," admitted Uryuu as he switched the TV off.

He then turned his attention to the terrified son of the family he had just killed.

"Hey kid, do you think demons are real?" asked Uryuu. "I mean, the news keeps calling me a demon, but don't you think that'd be pretty rude if demons did exist. Yo! I'm Uryuu Ryuunosuke and I'm a demon! But I'm not sure if that's how I should go about it. But hey, look at this! I found this when I was digging around in my storehouse. Apparently, my ancestors were trying to summon demons! So I just gotta know if demons exist. But, it'd be pretty silly if a demon did show up and all I did was talk to it before sending it back to whatever pit it came from. So kid…"

Uryuu smiled creepily.

"If a demon does show up, mind if I let it kill ya?"

The kid screamed and thrashed about. Uryuu laughed.

"I wonder what it would be like to get killed by a demon, I bet it'd be coo—ow!"

Uryuu stopped at a sudden pain on his hand and watched as a mark engraved itself on his hand and smoke started billowing out of the circle.

As the smoke cleared, two figures became visible. One was a bug-eyed man wearing some sort of black cloak and carrying what looked to be a spell book.

The other figure was a teen or young adult, with brown hair and green eyes. He wore earrings, a blue shirt, and a white and black cape. He bore a ceremonial sword.

Both figures looked around the room, surveying their surroundings.

"Servant Caster, accepting your summons!" announced the man in black. "Are you my Master?"

"Er, Servant Saber," said the boy in white. "Did you summon me?"

"Of course!" said Uryuu, he was so lucky, he got two demons! "I'm Uryuu Ryuunosuke. I'm currently unemployed, and my hobbies include stabbing and murdering. I especially like kids, and sometimes young women."

"So, you did this…" said the boy in a sad voice.

"Well yeah, hey, do you want to eat this kid?"

"You're not a hellion. I can't purify you. So I'll have to…"

The boy seemed to stop and reply to a voice only he could hear.

"Right, the authorities. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

The boy stepped forward, drawing his sword as the Earth around him rose in chunks.

"What are you doing?" asked Caster. "He's our Master!"

"If you'd defend him, then I'll deal with you next."

The ground rose around, Uryuu, trapping him in a cage of earth, the only open end being where the boy was closing in from.

The boy had nearly reached Uryuu when Caster spoke some strange words, reading from his book. Tentacles shot out of the book at the boy. The boy whirled around with a shout of "Festhus Mioma!"

To Uryuu's eyes, nothing happened except the tentacles being cut and burned by some mysterious force.

The man in black, then ran out the door.

The boy reached Uryuu and hacked off Uryuu's arm with the ceremonial sword.

"My blood…" said Uryuu as he passed out, "it's beautiful."

Saber wrinkled his nose and frowned. He returned the earth to normal and grabbed and untied the young boy in the corner.

"It's okay now," Saber said. "I'll get you to the authorities."

Saber tied up Uryuu and left the building. He looked around for Caster, but he was gone. With the boy and Uryuu's Command Seals in tow, he headed off in search of the nearest police station.

 _Fuyuki Church_

"The final two Servants have been summoned!" announced Risei.

"Then I shall order Assassin to begin the first strike," said Kirei.

He then went to do that.

AN: Thanks for reading, please review.


	3. Chapter 3

"With your abilities, the magical barrier fortifying the Tohsaka manor should be next to nothing," said Kirei.

Assassin laughed.

"Are you sure?" he asked "I thought you and Tokiomi Tohasaka were allies."

"Do not concern yourself with that. You have nothing to fear, even if you encounter Archer."

"I have nothing to fear from Archer? What about Rider?"

"You have even less to fear from him."

Crunch!

"What do I do, Kirei?" asked Berserker, munching on a bag of rice crackers.

"Provide support for Assassin. Do not fail me. Your first mission is the assassination of Tokiomi Tohsaka."

With that, Assassin sped off towards the Tohsaka manor, Berserker trailing behind.

 _I have no need for Berserker,_ Kirei thought

Assassin skillfully weaved through the manor's defenses. And grabbed the gem controlling it all. Berserker watched, munching on her snack.

Then, suddenly, a spear flew in from above and stabbed his hand. He screamed in pain. Berserker's eyes widened and she clutched at her head.

"You dirty little worm!" declared a voice from above, causing Assassin to look up. "Who said you could raise your head?"

A barrage of weapons descended from the gold armored man's position, killing Assassin and spilling his blood all over the place.

Berserker struggled to retain her sanity, in vain.

"And you!" said the golden man. "What are you doing, cowering in terror over there?"

A manic smile spread across Berserker's face as her pupils shrunk and she spoke in a much deeper voice than normal.

"I'll show you real terror!" she declared.

The golden man gave a small laugh and launched another barrage of weapons. Berserker pulled a Rubix Cube out of… somewhere.

"Mechanism No. 8: Wheel of Punishment!" she declared. The Rubix Cube became a uniform dark blue color and a massive wheel attached to it by a chain appeared. The wheel deflected all the weapons that would have hit Berserker.

The wheel continued on and almost hit the golden man, but he dodged at the last second.

"Mechanism No. 5: Stake of Vlad Tepes!"

A massive stake launched toward the golden man, but he dodged again.

"Mechanism No. 14: Cat's Paw!"

A giant metal claw on a stick appeared in Berserker's hand and she charged forward ad leap through the air at the golden man. Then, suddenly, a singular broadsword was flying through the air toward her. She blocked the sword and a young man in black teleported to it. He grabbed the sword and struck at Berserker with it. Berserker blocked with the Cat's Paw, but was sent flying back to the Earth.

The man in black threw his sword again and Berserker dodged it. The man teleported to the sword as it impaled itself in the ground, landing in a crouch, and went on the offensive again. His sword clashed with the Cat's Paw, but he easily over powered Berserker. Then, suddenly, a guillotine appeared and the blade came down on the man in black's sword arm. But, the man seemed to teleport a short distance out of the way, getting away unharmed.

"Prompto – Piercer!" the man yelled.

A blond haired man about the same age and dressed similarly then appeared.

"Gotcha!" he said.

He fired a gun at Berserker, stunning her and giving the swordsman a chance to strike. His blade struck true, raking across Berserker's front, spilling blood everywhere. Berserker then turned into a large metal cube, which the man dressed in black broke by summoning a great sword and hitting it.

"Thanks, Prompto," said Rider.

"No problem Noct—er, Rider," said Prompto.

"I didn't ask for your help," said Archer.

"Consider it a favor, one king to another," said Rider.

"You would still claim to be a king in my presence? How arrogant!"

"You're one to talk."

Archer then entered spirit form and went inside. Rider sighed and followed him.

"I beg your forgiveness, king of kings, King of Heroes, Gilgamesh," Tokiomi was saying, while bowing. "My intention was to demonstrate the power of the King of Heroes, discern which of the lions we should hunt first, and herald your march into battle. Please have patience."

"Very well," said Archer. "Perhaps I shall distract myself with a stroll. This era is quite interesting."

"You have taken a liking to our time period?"

"It disgusts me beyond words. Yet, still, I cannot help but be fascinated. All that matters is that I can find treasures worthy of addition to my collection. Should I find that this world offers no object of value, it would be a grave offense to waste my time with this summoning."

"Worry not, I am sure that the Holy Grail will prove worthy of the King of Heroes' attention"

"That will be for me to judge. Regardless, for now I shall do as you suggest. All treasures in this world belong to me. The Holy Grail's true value matters not. I can't allow a group of mongrel curs to fight over it without my permission."

With that, Archer faded away and left.

"Dear me," said Tokiomi, relaxing. "For Gilgamesh to be summoned into the Archer class, which boasts the highest potential for independent action. What about you, King of Light, have you anything to say?"

Rider considered this for a moment.

"Don't worry too much about Archer," he said. "I won't let Rin lose her father at such a young age. It was hard enough for me as an adult. And, don't trust Kirei too much. Those 'men of no consequence' types tend to be dangerous."

"Well, for now, everything is going according to plan."

 _Waver's Base_.

"Assassin and Berserker have been defeated!" exclaimed Waver. "Hey did you hear me? This means the Holy Grail War has begun! I've been scouting and researching, and all you've done is watch TV and pig out day after day!"

"We have not pigged out," said Liz, one of Archer's Noble Phantasms.

"I was talking to Rider!"

"This B-2 thing is fantastic!" declared Rider. "I'd like to order 10, what do you think?"

"With that kind of money, you could just buy a country outright."

"Ah, so it's a lack of funds that is the issue. If only there were a city of treasure like Peresepolis around. Then, we could just plunder all the funds we need."

"Anyway, it's best that Assassin is out first, since you wouldn't want to fight him. With your Noble Phantasm not even the three knight classes stand a chance!"

"Who defeated Assassin and Berserker?"

"I think it was Tohsaka's Servants. For one of them, everything about him was gold, the other was dressed all in black. It all happened so fast, I didn't get many details."

"Fool!" Rider exclaimed, for some reason provoking a look of disgust from Archer. "I intend to win this battle! How can I be expected to do that if you can't pay attention to detail?"

"Rider has a point," said Archer. "How are we to defeat an enemy we know nothing about?"

"Did you notice anything besides their appearances?"

"Well, Servants normally only have one or two Noble Phantasms, right?" asked Waver.

"In theory."

"Well, is there a Noble Phantasm that could throw ten or twenty swords at once?"

"A sword that multiplies? It's possible that that could be a weapon's ability."

 _But they didn't all look like the same weapon,_ thought Waver.

"Either way, I'll know the enemies identity once I face him."

Rider gave Waver a good slap on the back, knocking him over.

"You think that's a good idea?" asked Waver

"Yeah! That's what excites me!" exclaimed Rider. "Food and sex, sleep and battle. Whatever you do in life, you must be certain to derive all you can from it. That is the only way to live. So, what do you four say to going out for some fun? Prepare yourselves, tonight, we make for the front lines!"

"So, where exactly are we going?"

"It doesn't matter. Somewhere, anywhere!"

"That's ridiculous!"

"You cannot be the only one watching Tohsaka. The rest must also know about Assassin and Berserker. And that means they'll be on the move. We'll hunt them down, one by one."

"Hunt them? It's not that simple."

"I am Rider, I guarantee that no Servant is faster than I."

Rider drew his sword and it started to glow.

"Not here, you idiot! You'll blow up the house!" said Liz.

 _Kotomine Church_

"My Servants have been killed, leaving me, their Master, defeated," said Kirei, "and unable to further participate in the Holy Grail War. As per the rules, I, Kirei Kotomine, seek asylum from the Holy Church."

"Accepted," said Risei. "Without violating my role as mediator, I, Risei Kotomine, shall guarantee your safety. Enter."

"Father, is anybody spying on this church?"

"No. This is a neutral zone. I assure you, no one would dare attempt infiltration. If any of the Masters try to interfere, the church will remonstrate them."

"Then the peace here will be undisturbed. Still, I feel it necessary to remain vigilant. I want a guard posted here at all times."

"Yes. Understood, sir," said Assassin.

"Was anyone else observing the battle?"

"I detected four unique magical presences."

"I can confirm that the final Servants, a Caster and a Saber, were summoned the night before yesterday," said Risei. "All the Servants for this Holy Grail War should have been summoned, but…"

"Someone wasn't watching," said Kirei. "I had intended for all the Masters to see that."

"At this stage of the game," said another Assassin, "I would say that is an obvious step for every Master."

"If they don't take even that precaution," said another, "they should constitute a very minor threat, such that we Assassins would hardly notice their presence."

"When the other Masters learn of Assassin's defeat and lower their guard," said yet another.

"We, the Heroic Spirits of the shadows, shall appear behind them, and we shall become true darkness," said all the Assassins in unison.

"And so, the battle begins," said Risei. "The Fourth Holy Grail War has begun. It seems this old man may witness a miracle at last."

 _Airport_

"So, this is Kiritsugu's home country!" exclaimed Irisviel as she stepped off the plane. "What did you think of air travel, Saber, Assassin?"

"Nothing in particular," replied Saber. "Far less interesting than I had anticipated."

"We Servants are given knowledge of the era we are summoned into," said Assassin. "Besides, I've flown before. I actually have at least three different means of flight. Saber and I both have the riding skills to pilot this machine, anyway."

"You two could pilot this plane?" asked Irisviel.

"Yes," said Saber. "Once I mount it and grab the reins, I can feel my way through."

Irisviel laughed at that.

"Did I say something amusing?" asked Saber.

"No," said Irisviel.

That night, Saber, Assassin, and Irisviel went to the docks, answering the challenge of an enemy Servant.

A figure wielding two spears walked out of the shadows.

"While you were parading around town," he said, "the other Masters were all fortifying their defenses. Only you were brave enough to answer my challenge."

Saber stepped in front of Irisviel, while Assassin put his hand on his sword's hilt.

"Such pure fighting spirit, and such savage killing intent," said the figure, "you must be Saber and Assassin."

"Lancer," said Assassin.

"We are to fight to the death and yet we cannot exchange names, how sad."

Saber began to glow and exchanged her black suit for her battle dress and armor. She then brandished her invisible sword.

"I'm guessing you want to try things one on one first," said Assassin.

"If you don't mind," said Saber.

"I think it's silly, but go ahead."

Saber nodded.


	4. Chapter 4

Irisviel gasped and then scowled as she looked at Lancer's face. Saber clearly felt something as well.

"Charm magic?" she asked.

"I'm afraid I can't help that," said Lancer, "it's a curse I've had since I was born."

"I would hope the famous Saber could resist that much," said Assassin.

"I would have it no other way," said Lancer.

"So, you want a fair fight, then?" asked Saber. "Then I should consider myself honored to fight such a proud Heroic Spirit."

Then, at an invisible, unheard signal, the two Servants rushed forwards to meet each other. The force of their blows rent the ground around them apart. They clashed repeatedly.

Meanwhile, from the shadows, Kiritsugu and Maiya watched the battle and created a plan of action.

Lancer stabbed at Saber, destroying a crate when she dodged. Saber had to watch both spears, uncertain of which held Lancer's strongest attack. She needed more than just that he was skilled in the use of spears. She needed to figure out his identity.

They clashed again and Saber managed to land a small cut on Lancer's face.

As the fight continued, Kiritsugu surveyed the battlefield. He located Lancer's Master.

"Maiya, I've located Lancer's Master, he's on the warehouse roof, can you see him?" he asked.

"No," said Maiya, "he's in my blindspot."

Kiritsugu was about to fire at Lancer's Master, when a rush of air stopped him. He looked up to see Assassin.

"Maiya, Assassin is here, can you see him?" he asked.

"I can," said Maiya, "but Assassin should be dead, what's going on?"

"I knew something was wrong."

Elsewhere, Kirei and Tokiomi discussed the battle.

"It's best to watch for now," said Kiritsugu at the docks. "Keep an eye on Assassin, I'll take Lancer. Also for convenience with call this one True Assassin. My Assassin doesn't really fit the class."

"I'll attack True Assassin," said Maiya, "that will give you an opening to attack Lancer's Master."

"No, Maiya. Assassin is the main problem right now. We're not equipped to fight Servants."

"Understood."

 _Back at the fight…_

Lancer and Saber stood, eyeing each other. A container nearby fell over.

"I suppose there's no honor at stake when we don't even know each other's names, but know that you have earned my respect, Saber," said Lancer.

"I should be honored," said Saber, "to receive such a compliment from a master of the spear such as yourself."

"Enough playing around, Lancer," said a voice. "Saber is a fierce opponent. Finish her at once. You may use your Noble Phantasm."

"As you wish, my Master," said Lancer.

Lancer set down his short, yellow spear and the wrapping around the long, red one, disappeared.

"Get ready, Saber, from here on out, I fight to kill," he said. "You've been using wind magic to conceal your blade, right? You must have a reason to hide it. The sight of it must reveal your identity."

"Sorry, Lancer," said Saber, "but this fight will be over before you ever get the chance to see my blade."

"I believe I can lift the veil around that sword."

Lancer then, rushed forward, Saber hurrying to meet him. They clashed and a tornado burst to life around them.

"There it is, your sword," said Lancer.

Lancer then went on the offensive, clearly possessing the advantage, forcing Saber back against a shipping container. She ran up the wall and jumped behind Lancer. Lancer's spear was slowly shaving away Saber's Invisible Air.

Saber charged forward to meet another blow, intending to let her armor take the attack and strike Lancer down. But, Lancer's blow went right through Saber's armor, wounding her.

"Saber!" Irisviel cried out.

She then quickly healed Saber.

"I should've known you'd never let me win so easily," said Lancer.

"I've figured it out," said Saber. "That red spear of yours severs magic, doesn't it?"

"So, your armor is in fact a magical barrier. I hope you weren't counting on it to see you through this fight. You may as well be naked before my spear."

"Don't think you have the advantage simply because you've discovered a way past my armor."

Saber banished her armor and held her sword behind her.

"If I cannot defend against your spear, I will simply cut you down before you can strike. Prepare yourself, Lancer!"

"That's quite a risk you're taking, isn't it? Do or die, is it? Still you've turned your armor's loss into an advantage by casting it aside. What bold and graceful determination. I admire it."

Saber prepared to strike.

"But in this case," said Lancer, "this is a gamble you will not win, Saber."

"I wonder. I would prefer you waited until our next exchange before admonishing me."

Lancer shifted his stance, causing Assassin to scowl and activate his Mystic Eyes.

Saber released the air around her sword, revealing a shining golden blade and launching the King of Knights forward.

Lancer smirked and went to kick something out of the rubble, only to find nothing there. He looked over to Assassin, who was twirling the yellow spear in his hand with a slight smirk.

Saber's blow struck true, bisecting Lancer and killing him instantly.

"Assassin!" Saber yelled. "Why did you interfere?"

"This spear would have at least injured you, Saber," said Assassin. "You fell for an obvious trap. I expected better from you."

"Hm," said the voice of Lancer's Master. "Not bad, you two. Now, Caster, show them real power!"

"I wouldn't waste my time on them, boy," said an elderly man's voice, "Assassin hasn't demonstrated the power, nor Saber the wits to be worth my notice."

Saber and Assassin looked up to see an old man floating above the battlefield. Assassin smirked.

"If it's power you want to see," he said, "I'll be happy to show you some. Bansho Ten'in."

Suddenly, the old man rocketed toward Assassin, who prepared some sort of lightning attack in his left hand.

"Chidori!" he announced.

Then, lightning impacted the ground between Caster and Assassin and a chariot descended between them from the heavens.

"A chariot?" asked Irisviel.

"Sheathe your swords, for you are in the presence of royalty!" the chariot's driver announced, a large man with red hair that wrapped around his face in a beard. "I am the King of Conquerors, Iskandar! Brought forth to participate in this Holy Grail War as Rider!"

A young man in the chariot, presumably Rider's master, gave the Servant an incredulous look, while another merely face palmed.

"You idiot!" yelled the first man, only to get flicked in the forehead by Rider, sending him flying backwards.

"Of course," said Rider, "I am your enemy in the fight for the Holy Grail. But first, I would ask you to consider surrendering yourselves and acquiescing the Grail to me! Do so, and I shall welcome you as allies! Follow me, and you shall know the thrill of world domination!"

"I am also a king," said Saber, "the King of Britain. I would never lower myself to another's subject."

"Oh, the King of Britain? Impressive! Who would have thought that the King of Knights was a little girl?"

"Would you like to taste this little girl's steel?"

"I tried world domination once," said Assassin, "I think I'll pass."

"Hmph," said Caster. "World domination? Were you more threatening, I might take you for this world's Yhwach. But you are not on his level. You are not even on the level of Sousuke Aizen. I refuse, boy. Besides the only king I serve is the Soul King. I am Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, after all."

"Hmm, it appears negotiations have broken down," said Rider.

"Rider!" exclaimed the longer haired young man.

"I see now," said Lancer and Caster's Master. "I was wondering who could have stolen my summoning relic, but never did I think that you would have the guts to enter the Holy Grail War yourself. Waver Velvet. But this is perfect, it's the perfect opportunity to impart a very important lesson to you. I will teach you what it truly means for two magi to fight to the death. You will be thoroughly familiar with all the fear and pain involved. You should feel honored."

The boy, Waver bent over in fear and clutched at his head.

Rider placed a comforting hand on Waver's back.

"You there, mage!" he declared. "It sounds as though, you were intended to be my Master instead of this boy! Let me just say that the thought makes me ill. Only one with the courage to stand beside me on the battlefield is fit to be my Master! A coward, too afraid to show his face, is not fit for the role! And the rest of you, I know you are here in the shadows, spying on us all. Come, Heroic Spirits, let us gather! And to those of you too afraid to show their faces, know that I, Iskandar, hold you in utter contempt!"

With that, a golden light descended from the heavens, alighting on a light pole and forming into a man in golden armor.

"Not one, but two insolent dogs disregard my majesty by claiming to be kings in my presence, and another claims to serve a third king," said the man.

"That's an odd thing to quibble about," said Rider. "I am Iskandar, known throughout the world as the King of Conquerors."

"Foolishness. I am the one true king, all others are but mongrels and peasants before me.

"If you would make such a claim, then state your name. Surely a fellow king would not hesitate to reveal his name to an enemy."

The light below the golden man cracked and broke.

"You dare make demands of me, cur? To your king? Blessed to personally bask in my presence, you still cannot even recognize me? You are uncivilized animals, unworthy of your lives!"

Two golden portals appeared behind the man and weapons, a sword and a spear, started to emerge from them.

 _In an alley near the docks…_

"Kill him," declared Kariya.

 _Back at the fight…_

A cloud of blackness appeared near the base of the light pole, and from it a black knight appeared. Accompanying said knight was a woman in armor with red hair. The knight then roared. It was a bestial sound. The knight, presumably Berserker, stared at the golden man.

"Who gave you permission to observe me, mongrel?" asked the man. "See to it that your death amuses me."

The portals turned to face the black knight, and the weapons launched forth from them. The knight grabbed the sword as it passed and used it to deflect the spear, creating an explosion. From the smoke, the red-haired woman burst forth, wearing a ridiculous set of armor consisting of a metal bikini top and skirt, surrounded by a wheel of ten swords, plus the two in her hands. She slashed at the man, causing him to jump backwards off the light pole.

"You dare force me to walk on the Earth, I who belongs in the heavens? You should view me as a god!" the golden man exclaimed.

He summoned ten weapons and fired them at the girl, but the girl countered with her own ten swords and charged again. The black knight also went on the offensive, attacking with its stolen sword.

Then, all of a sudden, Caster was behind Archer, punching him in the back, denting the golden armor and sending Archer flying forward into and through a shipping crate.

"I was going to merely observe," said Caster, "until I heard some young brat ranting about being a god. It's a little too familiar for comfort. I would rather avoid this world having to deal with its own Yhwach."

"Who are you to scold me?" exclaimed Archer. "You don't even claim to be a king! I shall teach you the folly of your ways, mongrel!"

Archer summoned a massive number of portals, weapons poking out of all of them.

"Bakudo Number Sixty-one!" declared Caster. "Rikujokoro."

Six rods appeared and bound themselves to Archer in a circular formation. Then, in the blink of an eye, Caster was right in front of Archer and punched the golden man in the face. Archer went flying through the docks, finally stopping when he hit his third shipping container, though the force still dented the container and knocked it over. Then, Caster was there again.

"Hado Number Seventy-three, Soren Sokatsui!" He declared.

A beam of white fire erupted from the elderly Servant's hand. Archer jumped barely in time. He narrowly missed the brunt of the attack, sailing over Caster's head and preparing another barrage of weapons. This time, he actually got to fire, but Assassin appeared between them and summoned his Susanoo. The purple warrior took all the weapons without a scratch and flew upwards, making to cut Archer in half. Then, suddenly, Archer was in a flying machine and flew out of reach.

"I have bad experiences with god complexes too," said Assassin. "I'd like to stop this one before it becomes a centuries long conspiracy."

"Fools, you dare oppose the one true king? I will make your deaths slow and painful!"

"I don't need your help, boy," said Caster.

"Same here," said Assassin, with a small smirk.

"What is he doing?" asked Maiya. "He should retreat."

"No," said Kiritsugu. "We've learned an invaluable amount about Archer's abilities, and we still have one Servant to spare."

Then, a black flying car swooped down and landed on Archer's flying machine.

"Archer, I think it's time you retreat," said it's occupant.

"Another false king sees fit to order me around? I'll—you dare order me, Tokiomi? A bold move. Very well, I shall take my leave, for now."

With that, Archer and the black clothed Servant disappeared into their spirit forms and left, their weapons and vehicles vanishing with them.

"It would appear that Archer's Master does not share his fortitude," said Rider.

It was then that Saber noticed the feeling of being watched and turned to Berserker, who was staring at her. Berserker roared and grabbed the light pole Archer had stood on, ripping it from the ground and charging at Saber. Saber blocked the first strike, then Berserker was forced back by the massive swords of Assassin's Susanoo.

"I see now," said Rider. "Anything used by that black monster becomes its Noble Phantasm."

"Caster," said Caster's Master, "by the power of this Command Seal, I-"

Suddenly, everybody in the area felt an inexplicable pressure on them.

"Watch it, boy," said Caster. "I would be more careful about how you use those."

"R-right, we're withdrawing."

Then, Caster and his Master left, followed by Berserker and the red-haired girl.

"King of Conquerors," said Saber, "what was your purpose in coming here today?"

"I can't say I planned it out thoroughly, to be honest," said Rider. "Good-bye for now, King of Knights! I hope our second meeting proves even more exciting than our first! Hey, boys and girls, any grand declarations or challenges for our foes."

"Let's just get out of here!" yelled Waver.

"Saber, I just wanted to say, I love how symmetrical your outfit is," said the other boy. "Assassin, get another sword, and you'll be able to have symmetry too."

"Thank you?" said Saber.

With that, Rider sped off into the night sky.

 _Alley near the docks…_

Kariya vomited up blood and worms.

"Darn it, Berserker just had to go and flip out with Saber," he said. "At this rate, my body won't be able to take the strain. But, if I can control him, I can win!"

 _Other alley near the docks…_

"Umm, excuse me," said a teenage boy's voice.

Kayneth turned to see a teenage boy standing behind him, holding a blood soaked bag.

"I noticed that you were down a Servant now," the boy said. "I'm this war's other Saber, but you can call me Shepherd for distinction purposes. I don't have a Master, so I was wondering if you'd be interested in the role."

Kayneth smirked. A teenage boy wasn't ideal, but a replacement for Lancer was still a replacement.

"Of course," said Kayneth, "come with me back to my base and we'll formalize the contract.

"Thanks, you really saved me," said Shepherd.

AN: So, I'm noticing a big drop off after this chapter. Anyone want to review and tell me why you stopped here?


	5. Chapter 5

Saber, Assassin, and Irisviel sped through the streets.

"See?" asked Irisviel. "This thing really flies!"

"You are a surprisingly experienced driver," said Saber nervously.

"Out of all the toys Kiritsugu has brought me, this is my favorite!"

"It's a toy? Irisviel, stop!"

Irisviel slammed on the brakes, stopping just short of hitting the mysterious figure in the middle of the road. The three got out of the car and walked toward the figure. It was a bug eyed man in a black cloak. The man bowed.

"My holy virgin maiden," he declared, "welcome back to the world of the living!"

"Do you know him?" asked Irisviel.

"I don't think so," said Saber.

"Oh, don't say that! It is I, Gilles de Rais! You must recognize me, Jeanne!" yelled the bug eyed man.

"I have never seen you before this night, and I know not this Jeanne either. As you have given your name, I am honor bound to give mine. I am Arturia Pendragon, daughter of Uther Pendragon and King of Britain!"

"Oh, this is not mere amnesia but madness!"

The man started manically punching the ground.

"How much suffering must my virgin endure before God is sated?' he exclaimed.

"Amaterasu," said Assassin.

Then, the bug-eyed man was on fire. Black fire, to be specific. He screamed and batted at the flames with his hands, but nothing worked. Then, all of a sudden he vanished.

"Did he enter spirit form?" asked Irisviel.

"It looked like his Master called him back," said Saber.

"Hn," said Assassin, "let's go."

 _Simultaneously, hotel room…_

"So, I left my Master to the authorities and took his Command Seals," Shepherd was explaining, raising the bag he was holding.

"That means there's still another Servant tied to those Command Seals, right?" asked Sola-Ui.

"Yeah, I wanted to purify, er, take care of him too, but he ran away too quickly."

"In that case I believe I should be your Master."

Kayneth opened his mouth to protest.

"Do you think you can handle three Servants all by yourself?" asked Sola-Ui.

Kayneth closed his mouth.

Of course, while that was a legitimate concern, Sola-Ui was also worried about the compatibility issues between Shepherd and Kayneth. Kayneth was a ruthless, temperamental magus, while this boy appeared to be rather calm and kind young man. It was doubtful they would see eye-to-eye, and Kayneth already had one Servant he couldn't control.

"That's fine with me," said Shepherd, "What about you guys?"

Four balls of light emerged from Shepherds body and formed into humanoid figures. A young woman with long, greenish-white and red hair, dressed in a white and red dress, a young blonde girl with an umbrella, another teenage boy with white hair, stressed in blue and holding a staff, and a grown man with long white hair, who was notably shirtless and wearing a hat.

"I have no objections," said the first woman.

"Same here," said the boy.

"I don't have a problem with it," said the girl.

"Of course I wouldn't complain about serving under such a beautiful young woman!" said the man. "Hey, babe, what's your type?"

"Kayneth is my fiancé," said Sola-Ui.

"Oh, that's too bad! Well, if you ever get tired of him, you know where to find me!"

"Zaveid," said the woman, "we're not here to flirt."

"Oh, there's no need to be such a stick in the mud! It's just a little bonding with our new Master."

"Are these, your Noble Phantasms?" asked Sola-Ui.

"Something like that," said Shepherd.

"Very well, then, let's make the contract. I announce! Thou shall come under my command, and my fate shall be thy sword. Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail, if though dost accede to this will, this reason, then answer me. Saber, you are my sword!"

"I, Servant Saber, accept this oath. Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, I accept you as my Master."

There was a flash of light and Uryuu's Command Seals vanished and reappeared on Sola-Ui's hand.

"I should probably call the other Caster back here," Sola-Ui said, "before he causes any trouble. Caster, by the power of this Command Seal, I order you to come to me at once."

Then, a bug-eyed man appeared in the room, screaming in pain.

"Ah," he said, "Your summons removed the fire. Now, I must think of a way to rescue Jeanne."

He hurried out of the room.

"Should I go get him?" asked Shepherd.

Sola-Ui sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"No," she said, "if he causes any trouble, then I'll send you after him."

Shepherd nodded.

Then, an alarm went off and the phone rang. Kayneth answered it.

"Oh, thank you," he said, then he hung up. "A fire on a lower floor, an arsonist, I imagine."

"An arsonist, on tonight of all nights?" asked Sola-Ui.

"After Caster's display of power, I'm sure the other Master's will be eager to eliminate me. Perhaps someone would like to test my atelier. I've reserved this entire floor for my perfect atelier. Twenty-four layers of barrier, three mana circuits, dozens of demonic spirits acting as guard dogs, countless traps, and hallways with portals leading to alternate dimensions. A perfect battleground where we can both use our powers to their full extent! When we're done, I'll have you stop calling me "boy," Caster."

"We shall see about that, boy," said Caster.

 _Outside the hotel…_

"Mr. Archibald!" a hotel employee called out. "Mr. Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi! Are you here, sir?"

"That's me," said Kiritsugu.

The employee eyed him for a minute.

"Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi and his wife have evacuated," said Kiritsugu.

"Oh, I see, well, good then. Everybody's accounted for."

"All set here," said Kiritsugu to Maiya. "How are things on your end?"

"All clear waiting for your signal," said Maiya.

Kiritsugu dialed a number on his phone and the building exploded. He noticed a young girl crying as a result and spoke into his radio again.

"Maiya," he said.

Static was his only response. Kiritsugu rushed to where Kirei Kotomine was attacking Maiya and threw a smoke grenade, giving her a chance to escape.


	6. Chapter 6

"It appears that Caster has been kidnapping children to us as his mana supply in lieu of a Master," said Risei, then he rolled up his sleeve, revealing several Command Seals. "As this endangers the secrecy of the Holy Grail War, I am making an emergency rule change. All of you are to hunt Caster, whoever defeats hi shall receive one of these. These are the Command Seals that went unused by defeated Masters of the previous War. Once Caster has been defeated, we will resume the Holy Grail War proper. If you have any questions, now would be the time to ask. Though I must insist that only those of you capable of human speech do so."

Five familiars fled the church.

 _Einzbern Manor..._

"Kiritsugu, should we assume that the others will now be focused on Caster?" Irisviel asked.

"It's a safe bet," said Kiritsugu. "However, we have an advantage when it comes to Caster. I don't know if he's insane, but he's coming for Saber because he thinks she's Jeanne d'Arc. That gives us the advantage. We can merely wait for an opportunity, and take him down."

"I disagree, Master," said Saber. "His evil deeds are too much to ignore. We should hunt him down rather than waiting."

"I agree with Saber," said Assassin. "I'm surprised someone with a daughter would be so quick to ignore the problem.

"Iri, have you learned how to use the barriers surrounding the mansion?" asked Kiritsugu

"Yes, I have," said Irisviel.

Afterwards, Kiritsugu stood overlooking the forest. Irisviel went up to comfort him.

"Kiritsugu…" she said.

"If I decided to leave all this and go on the run, would you come with me, Iri?" Kiritsuge asked.

"What about Illya? Our daughter still at the castle!"

"I'd go back and get her, then go on the run, and dedicate my life to taking care of you and her."

"Can we do that?"

"We can, it's not too late!"

"You're lying. You'd never forgive yourself for giving up on the Grail. For turning your back on the world. You would be the first and last to judge yourself."

"I'm scared. Kirei Kotomine is hunting me. Maiya told me. He used Kayneth as bait to get me out in the open. I've already had to sacrifice you, Iri, and leave Illya behind, and now the one I'm scared of, the one I didn't want to face is hunting me."

"You're not fighting alone. I will protect you, Assassin and Saber will protect you, and Maiya's here too. Ah! Kiritsugu!"

"An attack? Luckily, Maya hasn't left yet. We can meet it head on. Iri, get a long range crystal ball."

Kiritsugu and Maiya prepared for battle while Irisviel viewed Caster leading a group of children through the forest.

"He's baiting us," said Assassin.

Caster then turned and smiled into the "camera."

"I have come as promised the other night. I request an audience with my virgin angel, Jeanne," said Caster. "Take as long as you like I have come prepared for a long wait. Now, children…"

Caster snapped his fingers and the children seemed to snap out of their trance.

"We're going to play a game," said Caster. "The rules are simple, you must run away from me. If you don't…"

He grabbed a random child and violently, bloodily, crushed the boy's skull in his hand, prompting the other children to scream and run away.

"Saber, you must defeat Caster!" said Irisviel.

"Yes!" said Saber, then she rushed out of the building to Caster's location. She found all the children dead, except one, cowering before Caster.

"Do you despise me, Jeanne?" asked Caster. "Of course you do. You would never forgive one who turned from God's love."

"Release the child, heretic!" exclaimed Saber.

"Jeanne, since you seem to care for this child so much, well, rejoice, child. God's most pious Servant has come to your aid."

The child screamed and ran to Saber.

"You're in danger here," said Saber. "Hurry and run, there is a large castle up ahead."

Then, the child exploded into a mass of tentacles. Similar monsters popped up from around the area.

"Caster, this is no longer about the Grail," Saber declared as she broke free of the first monster's grip. Now, I wield my sword to destroy you!"

"Ah, Jeanne, such purity, such bravery!" said Caster.

Saber charged forward, slashing at monsters as she went, but there seemed to be no limit to them.

 _Back at the Castle…_

"Even Caster's mana can't be limitless, right?" Irisviel said. "Saber just has to survive until he runs out, then she can win, right, Kiritsugu?"

"More importantly, have any Master's infiltrated the castle? Maiya, Assassin, take Irisviel and leave the castle, head away from Saber's battle."

"I can't stay here?"

"It's not safe with Saber fighting nearby, the other Masters must have realized that to."

Irisviel gasped.

"Two more Servants have entered the area!" she announced.

 _At the fight…_

Saber hacked through another monster. They seemed to be limitless.

"I see now, that book is your Noble Phantasm, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yes," said Caster, "the tomes of the occult left to me by my mentor Prelati give me the power to command Hell's demonic legions. What do you think, Jeanne?"

"I'll just destroy you in one attack then."

A tornado started to build up around Saber, then suddenly a path had been cut through the monsters and a teenage boy stood beside Saber.

"Woah, there's no need to level the area!" he said. "I'll clear a path, then you can strike him, got it?"

Saber blinked, then nodded.

"Okay then, here we go, Festhus Mioma!"

The boy's hair grew and turned blond, while his clothing changed to a long white coat and pants. A large two-handed sword appeared in his hands. The boy ran at the group of demons right in front of Caster and began spinning around, speaking as he did so, though it sounded like two people were speaking at once.

"My sword is scarlet flame, may it burn your soul! Flamberge!"

On the second spin, a huge flare of flame emerged from the sword, burning away the demons before him. Then, Saber launched forward and beheaded Caster. The boy returned to normal and all the demons exploded.

"Great!" exclaimed the boy, "Edna, fill in for Rose! No foe..."

A ball of light emerged from the boy and turned into a young blonde girl.

"No," said the girl calmly.

"Thank you for your help, now, who are you?" asked Saber, leveling her invisible sword.

"I'm this war's other Saber, but you can call me Shepherd," said the boy, "If you don't mind, I'd rather not fight. I only came to take care of Caster."

Saber eyed the boy warily for a moment, then lowered her weapon.

"Very well, but leave this place immediately, or we will cross swords soon," she said.

Shepherd nodded and ran off back towards town.


	7. Chapter 7

As Assassin, Irisviel, and Maiya walked through the forest, Irisviel stopped and stared back at the castle.

"Irisviel, let's go," said Assassin.

Then, Irisviel suddenly gasped.

"Another intruder," said Irisviel, "directly in front of us."

"Got it," said Assassin, "you two take a detour, I'll go greet our guest."

Irisviel nodded. She wanted to protest that she had to confront Kirei Kotomine herself, but she knew it was better if a Servant did it.

Assassin headed in the direction of the intruder and found Kirei Kotomine running through the woods. The man stopped when confronted with Assassin.

"Turn around, Kirei," said Assassin. "Maybe it's Naruto rubbing off on me, but I feel kind of like I understand you, and that makes me not want to kill you."

Kirei narrowed his eyes and withdrew two of his throwing swords from his sleeves.

"Fine then," Assassin said.

The two made eye contact, and Assassin appeared right in front of Kirei, ripping the man's heart right out of his chest.

Kirei fell over from the shock of the genjutsu, unconscious.

"That should keep you busy," said Assassin.

Then, he grabbed the man and carried him back to the church.

 _Back with Saber…_

Saber ran toward the castle. When she got there, she saw Kayneth clutching at his wounded left arm in pain. Caster then appeared. The old man Caster, not the one she just killed.

"Let's go, boy," he said.

"Not yet!" yelled Kayneth. "Not until I kill that rat!"

"In this state you are liable to fall into an obvious trap. I won't have my wish jeopardized by your stubbornness. Retreat or I will make you."

"Fine, let's go!"

Kayneth grabbed onto Caster's arm and the two vanished, never paying Saber any mind. That strung her pride more than a little. Saber then ran to find Kiritsugu, who was unharmed. Kiritsugu called Irisviel, Assassin, and Maiya back to the castle.

Everything calmed down as the five regrouped and planned their next move. Kiritsugu left to pursue Kayneth. The others enjoyed a peaceful night, sort of. Until the next day, that is, when Rider came barreling into the forest on his chariot.

He stopped just inside of the castle, and yelled.

"Saber!" he yelled. "The time for us to convene as kings has come!"

Saber let him in. Rider had also brought a large barrel of wine. They talked and drank in the courtyard.

"They say this war is a ritual to determine who is most worthy of the Grail," said Rider, "but I don't think any bloodshed is necessary to answer that question. I think if we Heroic Spirits can sit down and decide who is most worthy, there is no need for this War."

He took a swig of wine and then handed another to Saber, who accepted and drank, then thrust the ladle back at Rider.

"So, in other words, you have come to challenge me, Rider," she said.

"Yes, as a king, I figured you would not refuse my challenge."

"That's enough comedy for tonight."

A golden light descended from the sky and formed into the familiar shape of Archer. The black-clad Servant who had been in the flying car materialized too.

Then, Caster also materialized.

"What are they doing here?" asked Saber.

"I found them all wandering about town and invited them to join us," explained Rider.

"But, why Caster and the black-clad boy? Caster has said he is not a king, and I don't even know that other Servant."

"I'm Rider, King of Light, nice to meet you," said the black-clad boy. "You can call me Noctis, to avoid confusion."

"And Caster may not be a king, but he was still the leader of his people," said Rider, "he certainly has a place among us."

"Indeed," said Caster, "I led longer than most of you could have hoped to live."

"Are we truly to hold a conference of kings in this depressing courtyard?" asked Archer. "How are you going to repay me for dragging me out here?"

"Here," said Rider, "drink."

Archer sniffed the wine and scowled.

"What is this swill? You honestly think this is sufficient to derive the worth of Heroic Spirits?"

"This is some of the best they had at the local marketplace."

"You can only say that because of your ignorance of true wine."

Archer produced two portals out of which came a pitcher and five cups. He poured all the heroes present some wine and they all drank. All their faces indicated that they enjoyed the drink thoroughly.

"Be it swords or wine, only the best is housed in my treasury," boasted Archer. "I believe this alone should settle the matter of who is the greatest king."

"Oh, so your tune might change if I have Ignis whip us up a meal?" asked Noctis.

"Archer," said Rider, "your wine is truly exquisite and deserves the finest of cups, but the Holy Grail is no mere wine goblet. To understand which of us is most worthy, we must first know why you seek it."

"You do not command me, mongrel," said Archer. "First, seeing as we are all striving for the Grail, our reasons are meaningless, but that is beside the point. The Grail belongs to me to begin with. All treasures in this world, without exception, can be traced back to my treasury."

"Not this again," said Noctis.

"So, have you held the Grail?" asked Rider. "Would you know it by sight?"

"No," said Archer. "My definition of ownership is simply completely different from you mongrels. For the Holy Grail to exist is enough to know that it belongs to me."

"Heh, an arrogant brat," said Caster. "You may well be this world's version of Yhwach."

Archer scowled deeply at that.

"King of Conquerors," said Saber, "you acknowledge that another may be worthy of the Grail, yet you would take it by force. What do you desire it for?"

"To be reincarnated," said Rider.

"You idiot!" yelled Waver, running up to his Servant. "Don't you want to take over the world?"

Rider flicked him in the head.

"We may have been summoned into this place, but we are still Servants," said Rider. "I wish to live a new life as a human in this world. Then, I shall stand alone against Heaven and Earth. That is the essence of conquest! That is my path of conquest."

"That is not how a king should act," said Saber.

"Oh, then tell us the desire of your heart.

Saber paused.

"I would save my homeland," she said. "With that omnipotent, wish-granting artifact, I will change Britain's fate of destruction."

Rider frowned.

"That's an admirable goal," said Noctis. "Worthy of a true king. I would do much the same thing. Though my everything worked out in the end, I would still spare Eos those ten years of suffering."

Archer laughed.

"So, you two are saying you would erase history which you yourselves shaped?" asked Rider.

"Of course!" said Saber, "Why do you question me and why do you laugh? My country, to which I gave my life and which gave me my sword, was destroyed. Is it odd that I would mourn it?"

"Do you hear that Rider?" asked Archer, "The little girl who calls herself King of Knights says she gave her life for her country."

"Why do you mock me? A king should be prepared to sacrifice anything for the prosperity of his country!"

"That's wrong," said Rider. "A king offers no sacrifices. The people offer up their hearts and lives for him, not the other way around."

"That's nonsense," said Noctis. "A king puts everything on the line to keep his people safe."

Archer continued to laugh. Then, they all felt a familiar pressure on themselves and fell silent.

"Enough!" declared Caster. "Enough of your pointless bickering, children! You are both right. A true leader's subordinates offer everything for their leader. However, they are not infallible, and when they fail, it is the leader's responsibility to do everything in their power to save their domain."

Suddenly, Assassins materialized around them. Waver and Irisviel scrambled to the Servants for protection.

"Is this your doing, shiny?" asked Rider.

"Tokiomi lowers himself," replied Archer.

"I will welcome them anyway," Rider said, lifting a ladle of wine. "If you wish to talk, come sit and drink! This wine is as your blood!"

A knife flew from the roof and cut the ladle, spilling its contents.

"Very well, as I said this wine is as your blood! If you insist it be spilled, then so be it."

A wind kicked up around Rider as he changed from his t-shirt into his battle garb.

"Here is our discussion's final question," said Rider, "must the king live in solitude?"

"For the king, there is no other way to live," said Saber.

"Wrong, so you have understood nothing. I will show you now, what a true king is!"

There was a flash of white light and all those present stood in a desert, the Assassin's gathered in one place.

"A Reality Marble?" asked Irisviel. "This can't be happening, he brought an image from his mind into the real world."

"These are the sands my armies once marched across. It lives again because it lives on in our hearts!"

A marching was heard and Saber turned to see an army of Heroic Spirits approaching.

"Behold my endless armies," said Rider, "Iskandar's ultimate Noble Phantasm: Ionioi Hetairoi!"

The army gave a mighty shout and a horse walked up to Rider.

"It's good to see you again, partner," he said. "A king must embody his people's ideals and command their envy! Crush them!"

The army of Servants charged. The Assassins turned and ran, but it was useless. They were massacred by the army. Then, the desert disappeared.

"Well, that's enough for today," said Rider.

"Wait, Rider, I still-," said Saber.

"No, you be silent. Tonight was a banquet of kings. But, no longer do I acknowledge you as one."

Rider summoned his chariot and left.

"Pay him no heed, Saber," said Archer. "You are correct, seeing someone carry that burden of kingship, all the suffering and pain, is superb to behold. I-"

"Silence, boy," said Caster, "I am tired of your ceaseless prattle."

"Do not lecture me, mongrel!" commanded Archer, "I tire of your superiority complex! Meet me at the docks tonight, and we shall settle this, once and for all!"

Than he left.

Shortly afterwards, what appeared to be an elderly, ailing man arrived at the front gate. Assassin's Mystic Eyes spotted the astralized Servants he brought with him.

"What do you want, Master of Berserker?" asked Assassin.

"So, I was right, your eyes can see spirit Servants," said the man. "In that case, I have a favor to ask."

"Oh?"


	8. Chapter 8

"I want you to track down Archer and keep him busy while I confront his Master," said the Master of Berserker.

"Why should I do that?" asked Assassin.

"Because, that man did something unforgivable, and I'm going to make him pay. And in exchange, I'll leave you and Saber be until it's just me and your Master left."

"An avenger? Tell me, what did he do?"

Berserker's Master explained how Tokiomi Tohsaka had adopted his child out to the Matou family, and the horror of the family itself and its magic.

"Has it occurred to you that he doesn't know about the Matou family situation?"

"Well, no…"

"Tell you what, I'll keep Archer busy, if you agree to calmly talk things over with Tokiomi. I won't let you repeat my mistakes."

"…Fine."

"Good, I'll go find Archer."

"Wait, Assassin!" said Saber, walking up to the pair. "There's no need for that, Archer has challenged Caster to a duel at the docks. Berserker's Master will have plenty of opportunity to confront Archer's Master."

"I'll go anyway, we could use allies," said Assassin.

Assassin then left to hunt down Archer. Assassin found Archer at the docks, waiting for Caster. Making use of his Presence Concealment: A, Assassin hid where he had a good vantage point and awaited the start of the duel.

 _At the docks…_

Caster arrived in the blink of an eye and glared at Archer for a second. Then, he spoke.

"Are you sure you want to this, boy?" asked Caster.

"Of course, mongrel," said Archer. "I'll put you in your place."

"Very well, I will prepare a more appropriate battlefield. Should you survive its inhabitants' attacks, I may consider fighting you at full strength. You kings think so highly of yourself, and yet two of you are alone while the third leads and army of cannon fodder. I will show you the fruits of true leadership. Gotei 13"

There was a flash of light, and suddenly, Archer and Caster stood in a field of white buildings.

"This is the Seireitei," explained Caster, "here reside all the Soul Reapers I commanded at the time of my death. Come forth, captains and lieutenants!"

"Ridiculous," said Archer.

He summoned a dozen portals and a weapon flew out of each. Then a shout was heard.

"Bankai! Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

A small figure with ice wings and a tail descended from above and slashed its sword, instantly freezing all the weapons in place. Archer scowled, then jumped to the left when he sensed an attack. A blade penetrated his shoulder and hip, and something poked his face.

Then, a man with long black hair and a girl with some sort of weapon on her finger appeared.

"Impressive," said the man, "to dodge my Senka and Captain Soi-Fon's attack is not an easy feat."

Archer was about comment, but was interrupted by someone stabbing him in the back, paralyzing him.

"I would love to study you," said a voice from behind him.

Archer injected himself with some anti-venom from his collection and whirled around and bisected his attacker. A large figure loomed over Archer, and he turned to see a large man with unkempt hair swinging a weathered katana at him. Archer grabbed a sword and blocked, but was sent skidding backwards along the ground.

"Bankai, Kokujo Tengen Myou!"

A giant appeared and punched Archer, slamming him into the ground and crushing him. Archer let loose a stream of weapons in all directions, killing all his attackers, though oddly, one seemed to dematerialize into just his haori.

"Yo," said a calm voice, "I'm Captain Shunsui Kyouraku of Squad Eight. Want to play a game? It's called Irooni.

Archer whirled around with a sword in hand and struck at the scimitar wielding figure. His blade had no effect.

"You forgot to call out a color. Let me show you how the game is played. Black."

With that, Kyouraku stabbed Archer right in the pupil. Archer screamed and took a step back. He let fly a wild stream of weapons that was easily dodged as Kyouraku jumped into the air.

"In Takaoni whoever has the high ground wins," he explained.

Kyouraku came down with a powerful strike. Archer raised two swords in an X-shape, but they snapped in half and Kyouraku left a long, deep cut along Archer's front.

Archer unleashed another barrage of weapons. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a blond man twirling a sword in his hand by a ring. All Archer's weapons passed through Kyouraku, as if he wasn't there. Then, he heard a voice from behind him.

"Kageoni."

Kyouraku stepped on Archer's shadow and stabbed Archer through his right lung. Archer fired his weapons wildly in all directions, killing his attackers, plus two new men who had showed up.

Archer staggered over towards Caster, only to be confronted with a wall of flower petals.

"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi: Gokei."

Archer looked around to see himself trapped in a sphere of the petals. The sphere then imploded, cracking Archer's armor and giving him dozens of small cuts. Archer stood, panting and clutching at his chest, then he heard the same voice from behind.

"Hado Number Four: Byakurai."

A thin beam of lightning pierced through Archer's shoulder, but he reacted quickly and killed the source.

"Captain!"

"Nii-sama!"

Archer launched a thick wall of weapons at the sources of the voices, killing them too. Archer the staggered back to Caster.

"I've defeated your subordinates," said Archer. "Now fight me, mongrel!"

Caster stood and cast off his haori. His cane disintegrated, revealing a sword within.

"All things in the universe turn to ash, Ryuujin Jakka!" Caster declared as flames burst to life around him.

Caster slashed his sword and a wave of flames flew at Archer. Archer leapt through the flames and made to stab Caster, only for a fist to meet his stomach, then his face. He flew across the Seireitei. Caster was on him in an instant, bathing him in flames. Archer summoned his flying machine and took to the sky. He flew around raining weapons from above, occasionally hitting Caster.

Caster tired of the game and flash stepped onto the vehicle he struck and Archer parried the blow, the force of the clashing swords ripping the flying machine apart. Archer plummeted back to the ground as Caster calmly descended and held out a hand.

"Hado Number Eighty-eight: Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raihou!" he declared.

A dragon of lightning emerged from his hand and smashed straight into Archer

"Enough of this!" exclaimed Archer. "You are beneath me, and I will destroy this world to prove it! Awaken, Ea!"

Caster laughed.

"You think you are the only one with an Anti-World Noble Phantasm? Bankai: Zanka no Tachi!"

All the flames created by Ryuujin Jakka were absorbed back into the blade as it turned into a worn and scorched katana. Archer felt his mouth and skin dry as all moisture in the area was evaporated.

"Zanka no Tachi North: Tenchi Kaijin!"

Archer slashed the bizarrely shaped sword as Caster slashed his.

"Enuma Elish!" declared Archer.

Unmatchable flame met the blade that had separated heaven and Earth. Two unstoppable attacks collided. Caster's Reality Marble buckled under the strain and the two attacks exploded. The two found themselves back in the docks, both exhausted and badly injured. Scorched, cut, and bruised.

Archer limped over to Caster and stabbed him in the heart. Caster grinned and grabbed onto Archer's arm.

"Don't underestimate me, boy!" Caster declared, and the area exploded into flame.

 _Back with Assassin…_

Assassin watched the pillars of flame explode from Caster's last attack. As the flames cleared, Caster was gone, while Archer was on some kind of golden boat, alone.

"Assassin!" yelled Saber, running up to him. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for Caster to wear him down. Now, let's go," said Assassin.

Saber nodded. Assassin called forth his Susanoo and fired an arrow at Archer. Archer noticed and launched a barrage of weapons, intercepting the arrow and attacking his attacker. Assassin scooped up Saber and took to the air. Another barrage of weapons flew at him. Assassin held out his hands.

"Shinra Tensei!"

All the weapons were deflected and Archer's boat collapsed in on itself. Archer jumped ship to shore and prepared an oddly shaped sword.

"Enuma Elish!" He yelled.

Assassin absorbed the energy and used his Susanoo as a vessel for it.

"That gives me the energy I need to use that technique," he said, drawing his Susanoo's bow with a lightning arrow. "Indra's Arrow!"

The arrow annihilated what was left of the docks and threw Archer up into the air. Assassin held his palms together.

"Chibaku Tensei."

All the rubble from the docks closed in on Archer, trapping him and leaving him with no space to summon a weapon or use Ea.

"Would you like to do the honors, King of Knights?" asked Assassin.

Saber nodded, her sword already released and shining brightly.

"Excalibur!" she announced as she slashed her sword, producing a beam of light that annihilated Archer.

As he saw the beam of light incoming, Archer spoke one word.

"Enkidu?"

Then he died.

Assassin and Saber nodded to each other and left regrouped with Irisviel. They then went back to the Einzbern castle together.


End file.
